Kidsty Howes, Improvements to the Coast to Coast Route.

Since our last update we've been busy working on two different projects, one in Easedale, just outside Grasmere (which will appear in a later blog post) and the other at Kidsty Howes in Haweswater, where we've been repairing a section of Wainright's Coast to Coast Walk.  As our base is near Grasmere, it took us around 2 hours to get up to the worksite while working at Haweswater, and this commute considerably ate into our working days there.

Flying the stone on to site

Due to the amount of exposed bedrock, this part of Kidsty Howes can be difficult to descend and this has led to extra routes developing as people try to avoid the bedrock areas. As the Coast to Coast Walk is being upgraded to a National Trail, it was decided that access through the area needed to be improved and these improvements would also help reduce the risk of increased erosion brought about by the potential increase in footfall. 

Section 1 (before)

As you can imagine, the work was particularly challenging as it entailed breaking through the exposed bedrock with crowbar and sledge hammer, to create six sections of stone path.

Section 1 (during)

The first section was through a deep gulley, which created additional difficulties with landscaping. The large peaty bank on the left hand side had to be graded back to produce a more natural looking bank. The soil generated was used to fill in other areas that had been eroded just to the top right of the path and also below it. We then had to cut turf from areas that were well away from the site and we used this to cover over the areas of newly exposed peat. The areas where the turf had been cut were then seeded, to help them recover.

Section 1 (after)

The next section had even more exposed bedrock, meaning that even more of it had to be chipped out to get the path in, and the deeper into the rock you go the harder it gets! This is because the exposed surface of the bedrock has generally been weathered and broken down to some extent by the elements, whereas the deeper rock is unweathered and therefore much more solid.

Section 2 (before)

Section 2 (during)

With so much exposed bedrock, the area had to be carefully landscaped with large stones against the edges of the path and plenty of turf to cover over the rubble and bedrock.

Section 2 (after)

Section three of path followed the line of least resistance through the bedrock via a natural water-worn gulley.

Section 3 (before)

Progress on all sections was slow, with generally no more than one step built each day, and many days were spent just breaking the bedrock.

Section 3 (during)

You can see in the photos above and below how the path follows a natural fault in the rock. Each rock for the steps has to be carefully selected to fit the gap with very little room to spare.

Section 3 (up close)

 

Section 3 (after)

Section four involved pitching the path through another gulley to remove a narrow awkward drop off.

Section 4 (before)

Section 4 (after)

Further up the path, section five again followed the line of the gulley. Working in these tight gullies meant there was often not enough room to swing a sledgehammer, so the rock had to be chipped out using only crowbars and any fine tuning was done with a small stone hammer.

Section 5 (before)

Section 5 (after)

The final section was a short length of path, and again the side of the path was turf lined to cover over the rubble that was generated and to give a more natural feel to the surrounding area.

Section 6 (before)

Section 6 (after)

 

In addition to the work above, we also added five stone cross-drains to remove rainwater from the path, which should help prevent any further damage.

It's been a very challenging job, but it's made a huge difference for people coming down the path carrying large heavy rucksacks, which made it a struggle for them to safely navigate the bedrock, meaning they were forced to take other, less sustainable routes.

Path repairs at Allan Bank and replacing a bridge in Windermere

Back in 2012, we started work on creating a woodland trail at Allan Bank. This consisted of repairing the old stone steps and linking them together with a gravel pathway edged with timber. We also added wooden risers to the steeper sections and improved the drainage. We then continued making further improvements to the path in 2013. You can see all the work that was originally carried out here... Allan Bank Woodland Trail

Working on the footpath at Allan Bank

As it's been over ten years since we started the work, several pieces of the timber path edging had started to rot away, so it was time to replace a few sections to give the path a new lease of life.

Moving a large trunk for the path

We made use of a few trees which were felled as part of the woodland thinning operations but we also used timber that had been previously felled. We found a nice pile of Larch that was felled several years ago but was still in great condition, though a little on the large side. We only had to move the trunk around 50 metres, so using bars, posts (for rollers) and a fair amount of brute force we managed to (slowly) move the trunk into place.

Rare video footage of tree trunk moving in progress

Using some of these larger pieces means that the path edges should last many years, which is great as future repairs could become a problem if there's a lack of suitable timber available.

Path with log in place (at top of picture)

The path was looking in great condition by the time we'd finished, although a few of the wooden risers were still in need of repair, so we'll pop back later and fix them if we get the chance, or volunteers will carry out the repairs later on in the year.

Finishing off the path near the Walled Garden

Another site that we'd previously worked on was this bridge at St. Catherines, Windermere. Back in 2019 we replaced the treads and handrails of the bridge as the beams still had some life left in them. Unfortunately over the last six years the beams had become much worse, so the decision was taken to replace the whole bridge.

Removing the old bridge

To make the new bridge last longer and give it some extra strength, it was decided that we'd use steel I-beams for the joists and the rest would be made using untreated Larch. The joists needed to have holes drilled into them so we could attach them to the rest of the structure. This proved to be a slow job with the holes taking up to thirty minutes each to drill.

Drilling the beams in the workshop

Once the wooden beams were bolted on to the I-beams we started to position them in place, being careful to level each one, by building up the dry stone wall abutment. 

Getting the first few beams level

We temporarily fixed the beams to each other, to hold them in place while we built up the wall between each of the joists.

All the beams in place

After carefully calculating a suitable sized gap between each tread, we attached each one in place and also connected each of the three uprights. All that's left now is to fix on the handrails and build gravel up to the right level on each side of the bridge.

Just the handrails to go on

Back repairing the footpath on Loughrigg Fell

After finishing the work over at Ullswater on Glenridding Dodd, we headed over to Loughrigg to continue the work that we'd started back in 2020. This work was again supported by a grant received from the Westmorland and Furness Shared Prosperity Fund.

We resumed repairs on some of the path that we'd last been working on in 2022 and then started on some fresh sections of footpath higher up towards the summit.

The first section was about five metres in length. Where some of the original path had started to fall out, people were avoiding the big step-off and exiting the path to the side, causing further erosion.

Section of pitching in need of repair

This bit of footpath was probably built in the 1990s. We extended the lower section of the path, starting it in an area that had a more shallow gradient, so would be less likely to erode in the future.

Pitching after repair work

Higher up the path is a large area of exposed bedrock that has caused people to find alternative routes in order to avoid the scramble over it. In the following photo you can see how eroded the path is above where we're working, but it's difficult to capture the full extent of the damage.

Looking down on the site

You can see in the photo below, as we approach the exposed bedrock section, how eroded the footpath is and how it has started to widen.

Lower section of path before starting work

After a few weeks of work, the new path is starting to take shape.

Lower section of path after work

Higher up, the path is still badly eroded and unlikely to recover without intervention. 

Mid section before starting work

Mid section of path after work

The photo below shows the problematic bedrock. As lots of people tend to avoid it rather than scramble over it, the decision was taken to build the path straight through to get everyone on to one line, so that the extensive damage created by people trying to find a different route down can be be restored.

Upper bedrock section

Upper section of path before starting work

You can see in the next photograph how we're taking the path through a narrow gulley in the bedrock. This is having to be widened out where possible. Fortunately the bedrock is breaking pretty easily (so far), although it's creating a lot of spoil that we'll have to remove from site or/and bury with soil generated lower down the path.

Pitching up and through the bedrock

We've got a couple more weeks of work left on Loughrigg this year and then we'll return to complete the work most likely next spring.

To finish off this post, here are a couple of before and after photographs of a section of path that we'd worked on in 2022. Before being replaced, the original path was a mix of high steps and steeply sloped footpath. This had caused people to walk off the path and cause damage to the surrounding area.

Path before work in 2020

Path after work in 2024

It's been great to hear the positive feedback from regular walkers on Loughrigg who had disliked the original path and tended to use it only as an "up path" due to the awkwardness of descending it. It certainly justifies the decision to replace the old path with a more user-friendly footpath.

Repairing the path on Glenridding Dodd

Our most recent upland path project has seen us working on Glenridding Dodd over at Ullswater. The work was supported by a grant received from the Westmorland and Furness Shared Prosperity Fund and contributions from both the local community and the European Outdoor Conservation Association.

Helicopter lift at Glenridding Dodd

Due to the steepness of the path and its proximity to the road and housing, we installed some temporary fencing. This was to mitigate against the risk of any stones being dislodged and rolling down the hill during the helicopter operations and also whilst we work.

Looking up the path before starting work

The path was incredibly rubbly and mobile, which had caused people to spread out over the path to try and find an easier descent. This had caused damage to the surrounding vegetation and was only going to worsen over time.

The same section of path after work

We have narrowed the path and landscaped over any side paths, which we've grass seeded to help them revegetate.

The photograph below shows the steepness of the path and the proximity of the houses. Photographs looking up the path tend to not portray the path's true steepness.

Looking down the path on the lower sections

The section of stone path is about 100m in length, with three stone drains added immediately above where the stone path ends. Additional drains further up the path are being built by volunteers under the supervision of Matt, Area Ranger for the Volunteer Programme.

Eroded section about a third of the way up the path

As each section is completed, we grass seed the spoil and add turfs next to the side of the paths when possible. Unfortunately due to the Bracken and Heather cover, there is very little turf available to be cut.

Repaired section of path

Further up the path, a section of bedrock ran along the length of the left hand side, which had to be chipped out before the stones could be set in the ground.

Starting work higher up the path

With this section of path completed, it's hoped that the Heather can spread in from both sides as it will no longer be damaged by trampling.

Upper section after landscaping

You can see in the following two photographs just how the path is starting to settle in with it's surroundings.

Bottom of path before any work

One of the old side paths (which followed the fence line in the top photo) has been removed by landscaping and we worked on the pathline further to the right (below photo). The whole area has been reseeded and the Bracken is just starting to encroach. The two photos were taken just less than three months apart. Given a little more time, the eroded areas around the new path should once again merge into the fell-side.

Bottom of path after nearly 3 months 

We've still got another few weeks of work to do on Glenridding Dodd. This will mostly involve moving rubble and soil away from the stone path further up the hill to remove a series of side paths. This spoil will once again be reseeded.

Winter work around Great Langdale and Troutbeck Park

With the start of the new year, we were back down from our path repair work on the fells and getting stuck into some lower level work around the valleys.

Starting work on the tree cages

Our first job was at Raw Head in Langdale, where we started by erecting tree cages. These were planted up with scrub saplings that when fully grown will provide excellent habitat for breeding birds.

Completed tree cage

We also built a water heck (gate over the beck) and a small section of post and rail fence at Raw Head. This completed a fenced off area next to the beck which would prevent livestock grazing. It'll be planted up with a few wet-loving tree species such as Willow and Alder.

Heck and fence

Once this was finished, we headed a little further up the valley to an area of enclosed land above Middle Fell Farm, which we'd planted up with Juniper about ten years ago.

Juniper in Great Langdale

The top side of the enclosure was in urgent need of repair as it was no longer stock proof, meaning that sheep could get in and graze on the juniper and any other trees that have naturally regenerated. The fence line had been badly damaged by rock falls and moving scree, plus many of the original fence posts had long passed their best-before-date.

Part of the damaged fence line

In areas where the scree was most mobile we replaced the damaged posts with thick strainer posts dug deeply into the scree and tightened into position. These thicker posts should last longer than ordinary fence posts and also withstand more of a battering by any moving stone. We used rails in these areas as they'd be easier to replace than wire fencing when they become damaged.

Repaired post and rail

In areas that are less likely to be damaged by moving rock we used wire fencing and normal sized posts.

Repaired strained wire fencing

There were also multiple sections of fallen dry stone wall.

Damaged section of wall

Some of the larger sections of damaged wall were fenced off and the smaller wall gaps were repaired.

Repaired wall

New wall-top fencing was then added to prevent sheep jumping onto and over the wall.

Repaired wall (from above) with new wall-top fence

Many of the original wall-top fence posts had rotted away so these were also replaced where necessary.

Repairing the wall-top fence on another wet day

The whole section ran for about 500 metres and we managed to stock-proof the whole area. Although it's likely that many of the original wall-top posts are on borrowed time and will need replacing in the next few years.

Fresh section of post and wire fencing

We also spent a few weeks at Troutbeck Park building a wire tree exclosure and some tree cages. Again, this will help improve biodiversity in the area.

Livestock exclosure at Troutbeck Park

The area where we were working was rich in history, with people having been settled there since prehistoric times. Several old charcoal burning platforms were obvious as well as a post-medieval clapper bridge (probably at least as old as the 17th century) that we passed over each day to get to the worksite.

Clapper bridge